All Possible Things
by TheRedPenofDoom87
Summary: Faith comes in many forms; in people, in dieties and in ideas. A brief look at Neytiri's faith as it is challenged through moments you didn't see in the film.
1. Ewya will provide

So...I come bearing a new set of one-shots, sort of in the vein of "Meet me on Pandora" but this will be a focus on Neytiri and Jake. I was inspired when I watched the movie again (after I bought it). Especially after Hometree was destroyed and I kept thinking....okay, seriously, if I were Neytiri, I would be questioning everything I know right now. So these one shots are going to deal with Neytiri's doubt and faith and how sometimes they play into each other. These one shots will be moments that weren't in the movie and if you don't know by now, I live for those...

Enjoy!

I own nothing at all, everything belongs to James Cameron.

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"_**Morning without you is a dwindled dawn."~**__**Emily Dickinson**_

"_**I know you are reading this poem listening for something, torn/between bitterness and hope/turning back once again to the task you cannot refuse."~ Adrienne Rich, "XIII (Dedications)"**_

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"Eywa will provide," I grew up hearing. Trust in her, Sa'nok says. Follow her, Tsu'tey says. Remember her in all things, Sempul always said. She, who is All-Mother, gives and takes as she sees fit. She keeps the balance of life and death, and it is not our place to think we know better. Eywa will provide. Ewya will always provide.

But as I help my people in the tiniest ways; hauling water, bandaging the wounded, comforting the grieving, they implore me with their gazes: why did this happen? Why did Eywa allow it? But I cannot answer this, I don't think I ever will be, even if I live to be older than Sa'nok, it will never make any sense. Still I wonder it to myself as I try to dispense whatever comfort I have left. Many reach out for my hands and I grasp back. We need to know that we are not alone in this all-consuming sorrow.

Once this grief was common. War claimed many lives, death stalked us like a pack of ___Nantang_. And Eywa wept for all the destruction we brought. But that was back in the times of great sorrow, before the Na'vi learned that we are all People. Before the time of the First Songs, before Toruk Makto.

The children hide behind their parents if they're able, drinking as much water as they can to clear the smoke from their lungs. Mothers check them over, as if to remind themselves that they're alive. Some parents mourn for a lost child, some children call for parents who will not return. I move among the families, broken or not, feeling some of their glares and their blame sliding down my skin: How did you let this happen? I find that it's the question I keep asking myself as I gaze back.

When there is nothing more I can do, I return to the base the Tree quietly, only to overhear Tsu'tey, who has taken my father's place, snarl to my Sa'nok. "…killed him when I had the chance!"

"The sky people would have come," Sa'nok retorts, wiping her hands with a rag as she watches the sun dip below the horizon. Tonight, the sky is brilliant with reds and golds, evidence of the ash in the air. "had Neytiri chosen Jakesully or not, Tsu'tey." She sighs a little sadly, a little tiredly. "He tried to stop them, he tried to help-"

"Help!?" Tsu'tey gestures out to our broken people. "He would never be one of the People! I told Neytiri-!"

"Enough!" Sa'nok orders when she turns around to see me standing there. "That is enough for tonight!" She adds as a dismissal and waves Tsu'tey off. Tsu'tey may be Olo'ektan but Sa'nok is still Tsahìk, her voice is still commanding, but scratched from the smoke. Her huge eyes still hard, demanding, but slightly obscured by swollen lids.

As he passes me, though, I see the mirrored blame in his eyes. The hurt pride that I chose someone else, the suffering of our people. Why did you do this? He asks me silently. Why did you have to choose him? Why did you not listen to Eywa?

I thought I was. But, perhaps, I am starting to realize, I did not.

"You've got a burn on your arm," Sa'nok notes when I reach her. She pulls me down to sit and pulls out a fresh rag and clean water.

"I didn't notice," I whisper as she presses the rag to the thumb-sized burn on my wrist. Now it hurts, I realize as she's patting at it. "Sa'nok…"

"Hmm?" She keeps her eyes on her work. Now she puts away the rag and wraps a clean bandage around my wrist. The leaves will help with the pain and quicken the healing.

I grip her wrist to make her look at me. "Sa'nok-"

She lifts her eyes finally and I see the evidence of the toll that the smoke and tears have taken on her. Her eyes, so very similar to mine, settle heavily on me.

There is a question I must ask but I am not sure that I can. "I…are you all right? With Sempul-"

She huffs out a breath. "He is with Eywa. And one day I will be with him again." She replies evenly, determined.

"But Sa'nok-"

She's in no mood to discuss it as she cuts me off. "How in Eywa's name did you not notice this?" I don't know if it's because of what I have done or because of what the sky people have done.

"I was busy," I reply quietly changing the subject. "What will we do now?"

Sa'nok finishes the task at hand and stands. "We will heal for now. Pray for a sign. But for now, I need to sleep." She holds her hand out to me. "Are you coming?"

"No," I pick at the edge of the bandage. "I'm going to sit up for a while. Think. Pray."

Sa'nok grabs my good hand. "Eywa will provide." She repeats, her voice trying for strength but rasps off at the last syllable. And she disappears into our claimed spot under the nearest rock ledge.

Now is it just Eywa and I. I curl up at the base of the tree, far from any one's sight, most of all Tsu'tey's, and attach my queue to the nearest glowing strand. But I'm unprepared for what comes next.

For a moment, all I hear are the cries of horror, prayers for the dead, for the dying and the scared. They whirl through me, making all the doubt grow large and the shadows long. Over and over, I see Hometree toppled to the ground, the roots reaching up for the sky. The flames lick the trunk and branches, turning it black and lifeless. I see the familiar faces of friends and family torn in dismay of what has occurred. Where are you Eywa? They cry with one voice. Why have you allowed our home destroyed? Where are you as this small child coughs so hard there is a film of blood coating his teeth? Where are you as this mother has cried herself hoarse looking for her child? Where are you as this warrior sits alone in the grass waiting for a mate who will never rise again? Where are you while the ash from our home rises and clouds the horizon?

Where are you, Eywa? I join them and wish She could turn back time. Where were you when my father died? Where are you now that my mother is so alone? Where were you when I made such a mistake in choosing him? Where were you? Where _are_ you?

"I've already chosen," he told me only last night, his voice teetering between un-ease and longing, his hands already reaching for me. Still he held back. "But this woman must also choose me." He told me a half grin touching his lips.

I remembered the Atokirina touching down on my palms as we stood there in the glow of the trees. "She already has," I told him without any hesitation. For those few hours, I felt his eyes on me without worry or discomfort, I'd gloried in the delight I'd brought him, the way his hands, though with too many fingers, ran up my spine, my arms, my neck. I'd thought the Atokirina was a sign. I thought it, and Eywa, had bound us together in a way that would never torn apart.

Now, it seems nothing more than a silly dream, one broken by a swift sunrise and a grueling day.

Where are you Eywa? I pray. Where are you when I need you most? But Eywa is quiet tonight. She only receives the cries of her people and does not answer us except for the knowledge that She is listening.

Seeing that is nothing more that I can do, I detach my queue. When I come back to myself entirely, I realize that nearly all the people have gone to sleep and so I find my way to my mother's side. As I get closer, I see that under the blanket, her shoulders are shaking. I grab an extra blanket and as I lay it over her, Sa'nok turns. And in the moonlight, the tears glisten brightly on her cheeks.

The pain of what I have done comes back to me tenfold. I brought the Uniltiranyu here, thinking that perhaps Eywa had chosen him for something, I trained him, I believed in him…I chose him…. Even when I knew I shouldn't. I have brought these tears to my Sa'nok's eyes.

My brave, strong Sa'nok… Wordlessly, I wrap my arms around her. "Why has this happened?" she whispers brokenly to me. "Why Neytiri?"

"Sa'nok…" I reply, trying to wipe her tears away. "I'm sorry. I should have known…" Sa'nok shakes her head into the crook of my neck. " I should have-I didn't think…" But I can't speak anymore as the words get stuck in my throat. I hold Sa'nok as tight as I can to infuse what little strength I have left into her. We cry ourselves to sleep as silently as we can.

* * *

When I wake, it's slowly, letting each strand of sunlight brush across my face, neck and shoulders. I should be up and doing what I can. But I have so little strength to do so. I lay a while longer, cataloguing each burn, each tired muscle. My bruised heart bids me to rise but I quiet that voice for the time being.

I lay there in the dawn as the sun warms my skin, thinking of how this time yesterday I was happily sleep in his arms. I could feel his breath against my neck, the way his hand lay protectively over my waist. As I roll over and bury my face in the blanket roll beneath my head briefly and I realize that its how I want be waking up right now. Despite everything that has happened; all the doubt and blame, my damaged heart still says that we were right.

Perhaps, because of the dream I vaguely remember. In it, I was flying, as I do in many of my dreams. But not Se'ze…no… In this dream, I coasted the skies on a massive Toruk. We plowed through the sky easily; the Toruk's massive wings moving up and down, creating air currents of its own. It opened its beak and let out a huge roar, echoing. Perhaps it is a sign. Perhaps today, Eywa will give.

When I finally find the strength to rise, I realize that I'm alone. Sa'nok's already up, moving among the People, all traces of last night gone. Once again she is strong and invincible Tsahìk, she must be.

As the morning continues, we realize that several have died in the night and we spend the rest of the day burying and in prayer. The mourning seems to have no end in sight. We eat mechanically, without tasting or knowledge that we have done so. Many are still wounded and afraid. So, as twilight settles in again, we gather around the tree and offer our prayers to Eywa in song. The song grows in volume as more and more join in, the voice of the people cannot be silenced or forgotten as we offer our fears and wishes to Eywa. We only sing half the song when there is a sudden roar of wind, the screams of the people as a huge orange and black creature falls into the valley.

No Eywa, no….I snarl. Please! No more death….

And then a figure dwarfed by the Toruk's massive size slides from its back. I know instantly who it is.

"It is your Jake…" Sa'nok confirms. "Oh Ewya…it is your Jake…Toruk Makto…"

But I barely hear her as I look only at my Jake. I move past Tsu'tey, past Sa'nok, past the other singers and step down and closer to him. Everything has fallen to the wayside, except for his eyes.

My heart, still burned from the fires and the loss of our People, rejoices at his appearance and the way his eyes never leave mine. He doesn't notice how the people back away in reverence, touching his arms, shoulders and muttering: "Toruk Makto," over and over under their breaths. He only stops when he's an arm length from me. He does not try to touch me, perhaps, because of how I shoved him away before, because of how I hurt him too.

"I see you," I offer.

"I see you," he gives back as I reach forward and place my hand on his upper arm. So familiar and yet…he mirrors me, slowly but with growing confidence, he cups my face in his huge hands.

He doesn't ask why, but I say anyhow: "I was afraid for my people, Jake…but not anymore."

Eywa will provide.

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well? Love it? Hate it? Wish i had never returned to write? that last one is a joke :) But tell me what you think. Feeback is alway always always appreciated The next one is going to be really interesting.


	2. A Lucky Woman

_I come with another one-shot, this one takes place after they've returned to the Tree of Souls and right before the big battle, which I'm sure you'd figure out by reading but whatever :) I'm really excited with the way everyone responded to the last one that I hope you enjoy this one just as much. _

_Disclaimer: i own nothing at all, this is all James Cameron, I'm just elaborating. _

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"_**nothing is ever entirely/ right in the lives of those who love each other."~ Eavan Boland "Domestic Violence"**_

"_**The road is now a sudden sea/ deep enough now/ to lay your armor down…"~ Dashboard Confessional "Don't Wait"**_

* * *

I was never more elated to see the Tree of Souls until we returned from the calling, something familiar and reliable. But there was a serene and fierce beauty there at the Eastern Sea, especially at dawn while the sun begins to rise up out of the curve of the waves. A few wild ikran climbed up through the sky and flew against the pinks and golds of the ocean sun rise, their calls echoing off the steep cliffs. The vast blue green sea moved before me rising and falling with its own breath. It, too, was a living entity like my forest home. And for just a moment I wanted to stay; forever mesmerized by the gentle movement of the sea, the call of the breaking waves, the salty air. In that moment, there was no war, no death, no confusion.

Over the last few days, everything I know has been burned beyond recognition, my home destroyed, my father killed, my mother heart-broken. And Jake…now something sits between us, unspoken but needling and I don't know who to put into English what this is. But I do know that somethings cannot be put right, no matter how we wish it. Somethings cannot be changed. Some hurts go too deep to heal.

I watch him now; seeing all the other clans streaming into the valley, Toruk beside him as a reminder of who he is and what must still come. As I climb toward him silently, Sev'et's words come back to me.

The Olo'ektan of the Eastern Sea People, Sev'et, caught me only this morning when she landed at Hometree to find it filling with warriors with every passing minute. She and her fliers awed at the gathering we had accumulated in the past few days.

"You are a lucky woman," she told me, her hand on my shoulder, a confident smile lighting her face.

"I am?" I wondered. I certainly didn't feel it; war was upon us, a war that we could not avoid.

Sev'et smiled. "Your mate is Toruk Makto. Eywa chose him, sent him to us. It is a sign."

I nodded and swallowed back what has been weighing on me. "Yes, he was. I suppose I am lucky."

"Eywa be with you, sister," She insisted.

"And you, sister." I replied.

"There are so many," I say aloud when I'm close enough to him. As the words leave my lips I realize that it is the first time we have spoken privately since he became Toruk Makto. Everything happened so fast, he returned and begged help for Grace, who could not be saved. And then the next thing I knew, we were flying through the sky, gathering warriors.

He turns slightly, and smiles almost shyly for me. "Ten clans by last count."

"No-men told me two more are on the way from the Plains." I report the reason I'm here. Only a few minutes ago, No-men came barreling down from one of the taller trees surrounding the Tree of Souls. He told me that he and Trudee had seen another three more entering what they call the "fluks". He told me that Jake would know what that meant. "We will catch the Sky People by surprise?"

Jake shakes his head, sadly. "Probably not. Quatrich'll know we won't go without a fight." It warms my heart to hear him say "we" but he goes on. "He'll suspect… he's probably doing the same thing we are."

"He is afraid…" I realize quietly. "All the Sky People are afraid…why?"

"Because they don't understand." He huffs out a breath. "Sky People are always afraid of things they can't comprehend."

"Do they fear Eywa, then?" I wonder. "So few Sky People understand Her, but those who do, honor her with their bravery." I think of Grace and of No-men…and Jake.

Jake shrugs. "Some don't think She's real," He steals a glance at my shocked face. "Sky People have forgotten their Eywa and they can't See her anymore, no matter what she looks like."

Despite what they have brought to us, all the destruction and death, the pain and sorrow, my heart hurts for them. How can they See anything when they have forgotten their Eywa? How they can go on? "It is no wonder they act this way," I say to Jake. "Like sad and hurt children. They are lost without the guidance of Eywa, no one is there when they need it most."

Jake smiles a little. "If only they could learn. If only they could See…"

"No one can teach you to See," I repeat to him, stepping closer. "But Sky People can learn…Grace did, Trudee, No-men….you…" I add quietly. "Sky People _can_ change."

Instantly, I remember him telling me: "Everything changed, okay? I fell in love. With the forest, with the Omaticaya people." His gaze softened as he gripped my shoulders. "With you…with you…" He said it over and over again trying to make me understand, but I didn't want to listen. Fear had taken root and it pushed everything else away from me including him. Fear of what the Sky People would do, of what my Jake had done (or didn't do), for my people. But the fear, too, that I had chosen wrong.

"You meant what you said?" I need to confirm suddenly.

"When?" He wonders.

"When you said you had fallen in love with the forest, with us…with me?" I clear my throat.

He turns now, fully, to me. His eyes move across my face, drinking it in as if he had not seen me in many years. But he holds himself back from touching me. "Of course I mean it. I was rotting away in that wheelchair and you brought me back to life…."

I shake my head, crossing my arms over my chest. "It was the Sky People who gave you this body. Not me. And it was Grace who brought you here. "

"No." He's never fought with me before. Always, I've called him "Skxawng" and smacked him upside the back of his head. Always, he would either look down or glare at me. But I haven't had to do that in a very long while. I would really like to about now. "You're the one who saved me from the Nanatag, from the Sky People, from myself."

"Eywa chose you…" I disagree. "She chose you to be Toruk Makto…She chose you for all this." I gesture out at the mass of Na'vi streaming into the valley. "No one else could have brought the clans together!"

"I wonder," he says quietly. "If it's me or Toruk Makto that you trust now." His eyes pierce me through with their sadness, mirroring my own I am sure.

In my heart, I know that the words my Jake spoke that day were as true then as they are now. Toruk would not chosen Jake if he did not love the People. Eywa would not have saved him from my arrow. A thousand other things would have stolen him from me long before now.

I swallow hard and pick my words as carefully as I can. "Toruk Makto is mighty. Toruk chooses him, Eywa chooses him. And they have chosen you." I take his hand in mine. "Eywa will provide…"

Jake looks down and brushes his "thumb" over the small burn on my wrist, sorry that he could not be here to make it better. As I struggle to put what I must into English, he speaks again. "I know you aren't entirely sure if you can trust me again," Jake reasons. "And I know what I am. But…I need you to have faith in me; I can't do it without you."

I smile a little and he does too. I grip his hand tighter, knowing that there is only one thing I need to say. "Eywa will provide," I say again, firmer this time.

He doesn't seem to understand still and he begins again. "If you don't believe anything else I've said-",

"My Jake…" I sigh.

"Nope. I've got to say this…" He grins that silly grin at me. "If you don't believe anything else I've said believe this: I love you." He swallows hard and that silly smile becomes the nervous one. "More than I ever thought possible….But if you can't…I'll understand. I'll leave you alone after this and never bother you again." He waits like an injured yerrik for the hunter's knife.

The full weight of what he's offered hits me and I throw my arms around him as if to hold him back from walking away. He lets out a small "oof" of surprise, though he puts his arms around me like nothing happened.

For a brief moment, I am back at the shore where there was no war or terror. I only hear my Jake's steady heart beat, feel the warmth offered by being wrapped in his arms. Know that I did choose right, I did listen when Eywa spoke to me. Know that I am indeed a "lucky woman" not because he is Toruk Makto or that he was chosen or a sky people….but that he is my Jake.

In the time that we have been apart, I've forgotten what his skin feels like under my hands, how he fits so lovingly against me. I pull back for just a moment to look into his face, a smile already settling there, erasing all the horrible things said and assumed. "Don't ever leave me again." I order softly before pressing my lips to his.

He returns the kiss carefully at first, gauging my reaction but soon we both loose ourselves to it. We both put as much as we can into the kiss; love, sorrow, hope and despair and take comfort from it. There is a need too, a need to be close and to never let the other go. Despite everything…he is still _my _Jake. I cannot go on without him. I need him the way I need my breath, my heart.

"Never," He promises, when we pull back and I can hear the smile in his voice. "If that's what you really want."

I nod, lacing my fingers through his. "It is." I say with no hesitation.

"Good," is that needs to be said. He keeps one arm around my waist as we watch the flow of clans slow a little a night settles in around us.

"Jake! Jake!" No-men comes running up the ridge, several Na'vi stop and watch the dream walker, who hasn't learned to be silent yet.

"What?" Jake calls.

"Look!" No-men points straight up and we see more ikran and their hunters pouring through the sky like rain. "Tsu'tey's back with at least two more clans!"

I squeeze closer to Jake, if possible, torn between hope and despair. He is Toruk Makto, and he has brought the clans together. But the Sky People are angry and afraid, a terrible combination and I fear that more lives will be lost than saved. So much to loose but so very much to gain.

Eywa will provide.

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Well, what do you think? Feedback is always appreciated!


	3. Faith

_SO i come bearing the next and last chapter of "All Possible Things". Yeah, this one is super duper fluffy! I couldn't help it! :)_

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing at all!_

_**

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**__**"Faith makes all things possible…love makes all things easy,"~ Dwight L Moody**_

"_**I need your grace/To remind me/To find my own/If I lay here/If I just lay here/  
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"~ Snow Patrol "Chasing Cars"**_

_**

* * *

**_The day I have been both anticipating and dreading dawns finally. Half of my heart is leaping at the adventure that lies before me and the other half is still grieving. And so I lie there in a puddle of new sunlight, curled up next to my Jake, unable and slightly unwilling to make any move more than necessary.

It has been a several months since the battle and two since my Jake passed through the Eye of Eywa and returned to me. And the time has passed like some kind of dream, despite all the horror and carnage we have had to face. Still, it doesn't touch me the same way it once did. I knew all along that I had made the right choice, and my doubt seems so very far away now. My Jake is at my side, sharing in my despair and it doesn't take the breath from me, or my heart. He is my heart and he cannot be taken from me. Though some have tried…and failed, of course.

In the morning light that creeps over the both of us, I take the moment and send a little prayer to Eywa, thanking her for the day, for everything, especially for my Jake. I savor the feel of his breathing and the faithful rise and fall of his chest, the way his arm curls around me protectively. But the softness of his features betray pleasant dreams this past night.

Some nights he will awake from nightmares, believing that the Sky People have returned and I am nowhere to be found. My own nightmares scare me into consciousness with a single minded terror that I, in fact, did not stop the scarred man from taking my Jake from me…that I did not kill that man soon enough, that I did not reach my human Jake in time. I was so close to losing him that even the thought still makes me shiver and cling a little closer to him.

As if to re-assure me, the arm around me flexes as he wakes up. He brushes a kiss against my temple, running his fingers up and down my arm. "…morning…" he murmurs, a sleep-slow grin spreading across his face as he sees me. He cups my face briefly, running this thumb over my cheek. That simple touch is filled with such comfort, it is almost enough to send me back to sleep even with my nerves as taunt as they are. Almost.

I return the grin and sit up a little, realizing that I've lain here too long. There's much to do and little time to do it in. "Good morning, my Jake." As much as I would like to stay and be with him, today is the day and I finally un-tangle myself from his arms.

Now he's wide awake. "Whoa…Whoa!" He tries to pull me back but I'm too quick and I evade his grasp at every turn. "Where do you think you're going?"

I sigh and roll my eyes. Such a Skxawng…I don't think he'll ever stop. "I told you I promised No-men and the others that it would be today." I've been putting it off for many weeks now and I cannot any longer. We've been living at the Tree of Souls since we lost Hometree and we must find a new one. The easiest way, we've decided, is on ikran. So many hunters, including myself, lost our ikrans in the battle; we need to choose new ones. It is not unheard of but still strange to think that I will fly without Sze'sze. And I feel as though I am going through the trial all over again, full of jittering nerves that just won't settle.

I clench and un-clench my hands a few times to hide their shaking. But as always, Jake Sees and gets up finally. When I finish tying my knife belt on, Jake's arm comes around my waist and pulls me back gently against him. "It's gonna be fine," he says confidently in my ear like a secret. "I have faith in you."

I've forgotten how good it is to have faith in someone and have that faith bestowed upon you in return. I settle myself in that faith, like a shield. And instead of replying, though, I settle my arms on his, running my fingers over his hands. This is all I need, I realize, as I feel the strong tendons beneath the smooth blue skin, note the bright dots that I know by heart.

"If you want, I'll meet you there. Like you did for me." He suggests softly.

I twist around. "I would like that very much, my Jake."

Like always, he has that silly look in his eye whenever he glances at me. Sometimes he whispers he can't believe how lucky he is. Other times, it's proceeded by a kiss.

"What is it?" Wondering which one it will be today.

He shrugs and looks away, almost dismissing the thought all together. "Nothing…"

"What is it?" I ask again, running my hand up his arm. I give him what he calls "The Face" and he crumbles, like he always does, to whatever I want.

He smiles a little and puts his arms around me. "Be careful…Please?"

"Of course." I promise with a matching smile of my own and pull away just as he is about to kiss me.

* * *

It has been many years since I made the climb myself. When I did, I was childish and over- eager. But I was young then, full of hope. I wonder every so often as we ride if any time has passed at all. The others who accompany me are many of the same from all those years ago. Some of the others start to sing an old lullaby about the climb to Iknimaya, some keeping the beat with a few claps, other raising their voices into the joyous harmony. It is a day filled with both good sometimes hard memories.

There is only one shadow that passes like a cloud over my heart…Tsu'tey. My dear friend and brother. He is one of the many missing among us. But that is a hurt that, perhaps, will never fully heal. My Jake knows this and hurts, too; Tsu'tey was his brother too.

But I smile as I watch the dream walker No-men, who sings along, in his place. I say a prayer for my departed brother and one for the dream walker whom, I have no doubt, will become my new brother.

As we reach the vines dangling from Iknimaya, I watch the others leap certainly to them, No-men among them. No-men approaches the challenge with an eager grin, much in the vein of the rest of his training. He excelled especially at riding the Pa'li. Many of the Plain's warriors admired the skills he learned and how fiercely he rode against the Sky People in such a short time. So, my Jake and I trained him intermediately. I taught him how to be silent; something that always had trouble with. Jake taught him how to use the bow, how to hunt. His Na'vi, though somewhat formal, has become more relaxed, more real during his time with us. Even Jake was surprised as to how well he took to it, owing to the fact that No-men wasn't from the Jar Head clan, like Jake was. Jake says he is a "ski-en-tist" like Grace was and was not used to running such long distances or was a warrior at all. But No-men has the advantage of knowing Eywa; something that took Jake many months to understand.

I watch with pride as another one of my students keeps up as we run towards the mountain. For some of us, we mark each passing plant and stone, noting its change since the last time we ran this familiar well worn trail. The higher and higher we climb the less No-men looks around like he normally does, in wonder. He's far too focused on the task at hand, as he should be. Though when we reach the echoing cavern behind the water fall just under the ikran rookery, we pause to take a breath before we get to the next phase of the initiation for No-men.

As promised, Jake and his ikran, Tsmaukan, come roaring in for a landing just next to us. He jumps off, running a hand over his ikran's nose.

"I see you," I greet him along with a few of the others.

"I see you," he replies, holding my hand for a moment as he moves among the rest of us. "Norm!" He calls. No-men turns, smiling as he has been all day. "You're going first!"

No-men nods, swallows hard and starts for the ledge. I follow just after him, giving him last minute instructions. "Remember, you will have one chance and one chance only."

No-men nods but doesn't say anything.

I press my hand to his shoulder, smiling. "We would not have let you come if you were not ready, No-men…remember, you must feel it here." I press my hand to my chest. "You will know."

As we move out, the ikran turn and hiss at us. But most flee as soon as we come close enough. To his credit, No-men doesn't flinch as they growl and cry, he only does as he's been instructed, spinning the fern at every ikran he comes across. They all leap off the cliff until he comes across a rather large dark blue one. It looks directly at No-men and screeches, teeth coming out in full.

No-men stops short and swings the bait faster and faster as it comes closer, its claws digging into the ground. The others start to cheer, Jake and I among them; yelling encouragement.

For being a dream walker and somewhat clumsy (much like Jake once was), No-men has become quick on his feet, dodging and almost dancing with the ikran until he boldly leaps from a small boulder onto it's back, surprising it. With little trouble, he makes Tsahalylu with it. Instantly the ikran quiets and sits back, head twisting every which way as No-men's would.

"Fly, Norm!" Jake laughs. "Go on!"

We can see No-men look skyward for a moment before they shoot upward in a flash of dark blue. Before we know it, they are a tiny speck among thousands of other ikran.

"So who's next?" Jake turns to me.

"I will go," I say, casting a side long glance at Jake who nods once, eyes never leaving mine.

I hop down from the ridge hissing just as fiercely as the ikran. This is my time, I tell myself as I walk among them. Eywa has provided all for me; a family, a clan, a mate who believes in me. But this task, this is the one that I must do on my own, with faith in myself first.

The ikran all leap away from me. Until I come upon one nestled on a huge boulder. The massive red and gold molted creature sits regally, watching my every move, but does not make a sound, doesn't so much as twitch as the others flee. Coolly, it slithers off the boulder and inches closer, a low rumbling growl in its…no, _her_ throat, echoing rhythmically against the steep cliffs. The sound draws me in so deep, for a moment; I forget that there is anything else in the world.

I stop and our eyes lock. This is it.

She takes a step closer as I do, I swinging the strip of bait faster and faster letting out a little hiss. The ikran takes it as a challenge and suddenly lunges. Faster than I thought I could move, I'm on her back, wrestling the huge creature. Her low growl, though louder in the struggle, is still just as rhythmic.

I yank her head back toward her neck with one arm and try to reach for her queue with the other. But she will have none of it and starts to buck beneath me. She beats her massive wings a few times as well as twisting her tail to stir up a dust cloud, making me cough. In her struggle to try to remain free, however, she starts edging towards the cliff.

I can hear Jake calling my name a few times as the others begin to draw closer and closer. I try to tell them "no" with my hand and as I bring my hand back down I find the chance to grab her queue and combine it with mine.

She stops struggling with me and shakes her head a few times, swaying precariously at the edge of the cliff._ Easy_, I tell her._ Easy. Everything is all right._

"Neytiri?" Jake calls gently as not to scare us. I look up, blinking up a few times as I re-adjust to making Tsahalylu with an ikran again, to see him standing just in front of us, sliding his knife back into its holder. "You okay?"

I nod, smiling. I heave out a careful breath and the ikran beneath me shivers a little. I make a beckoning motion with my hand to Jake. "Fly with us…" The second I image us flying, we're air borne.

With a few steady beats of her wings, she and I break through a few lingering clouds, moving straight up into the vast blue of the sky. Higher and higher, until she folds her wings in just enough to let ourselves be pulled back toward the ground. We free fall, spinning and twisting and I yell out my exuberance at the freedom of flying again. It feels…right.

* * *

Later, after an afternoon of flying, Jake lands on a nearby cliff and waves us down. Pamsteo, as I've begun to call her, lands next to Tsmaukan with a hiss at him to keep his distance. I give her one last pat and run to my Jake.

He lets out a laugh as I throw my arms around him. "I knew you could! I knew it!"

I laugh too, from joy and the exhilaration that only comes from flying, and pull him down for a kiss because I have no words to tell him what I need to. Of course, he's been wanting this kiss since the one I denied to him this morning.

"I always had faith in you," He whispers to me when we've broken apart and he doesn't just mean today.

"Why?" I want to know suddenly

He pulls back far enough so that he can cock his head to one side, considering. "You have a strong heart…" He repeats back to me finally, running his hands over my cheeks, ears and neck. "No fear."

I catch his hands and slip my fingers into his. They fit, despite my lack of an extra one or his addition, perfectly. As they always do. For this brief moment, everything else falls away, the only thing that anchors me to the here and now is my Jake and his familiar face and eyes. It is all I could ever need.

Eywa will provide.

* * *

_Well? What'd ya think?_


End file.
